Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition that occurs after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event. Even though it is suspected that PTSD has existed for centuries under various names, it was not until 1980 that it was officially recognized properly as a psychiatric diagnosis. PTSD can permanently impair a person’s daily life. PTSD brings on depression, memory problems, addictions to drugs and/or alcohol, and other conditions of mental and physical health.

What causes PTSD?

Although PTSD is most commonly associated with war veterans, there are a wide variety of known causes, such as:

  • Serious accidents
  • Rape, molestation and abuse
  • Being physically attacked or threatened
  • And more.

Of those who have experienced a traumatic event, nearly 10% of men and 20% of women will go on to develop the symptoms of PTSD for a prolonged period of time. Some neuroscientists theorize there are permanent changes to the brain making it overly sensitized to new stresses.        

Types

There are three different types of PTSD:

  • Acute: PTSD is acute when the symptoms have lasted for less than three months.
  • Chronic: PTSD is chronic when the symptoms have lasted for more than three months.
  • Delayed: PTSD is delayed when it takes six months or more for the symptoms to develop.

Diagnosis

To be formerly diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, you need to be evaluated by a mental-health professional, such as a psychiatrist or psychologist. Although it can be decided in less than thirty minutes whether or not you need treatment, for legal purposes or disability claims it is recommended to have eight or more one hour sessions over a few weeks. PTSD is one of the most under compensated personal injury claims. Many plaintiff attorneys do not understand the seriousness of the condition and defendants will distrust anyone who claims to suffer from the condition. It is important to choose the right attorney to represent you. Ideally, the attorney should be both compassionate and experienced. You also need a good mental health professional who can testify well and withstand cross examination.

Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

The Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) contains the common criteria a person must meet in order to be diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

According to the DSM, a person must have all of the following symptoms:

  • The person must have been exposed to a life-threatening experience.
  • The person must re-experience the traumatic event. This is defined as having any one of the following:
    • Recurrent or intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts or perceptions:
    • Recurrent or distressing dreams of the even (these are often literal representations of the event)
    • Acting or feeling as if the traumatic event is recurring (includes a sense of reliving the experience, illusions, hallucinations, and dissociative flashback episodes, including those that occur on awakening or when intoxicated
    • Intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event
    • Physiological reactivity on exposure or internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event.
  • Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma of general responsiveness. This is defined as having at least three of the following:
    • Efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, or conversations associated with the trauma
    • Efforts to avoid activities, places, or people that arouse recollections of the trauma
    • Inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma
    • Markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities
    • Feelings of detachment or estrangement from others
    • Restricted range of affection (for example, inability to have loving feelings)
    • Sense of foreshortened future (death is no longer a distant possibility, but a likely event in the near future).
  • Symptoms of increased arousal. This is defined as having at least two of the following:
    • Difficulty falling or staying asleep because of fear that something will happen if guard is let down 
    • Irritability or outbursts of anger 
    • Difficulty concentrating
    • Hypervigilence
    • Exaggerated startle responses.
  • The symptoms in 1-4 must last longer than a month.
  • Clinically significant distress, occupational instability, marital problems and divorces, family discord, and/or parenting difficulties.

Seeking Legal Advice

The attorneys at Goren, Goren & Harris, P.C. have seen the crippling effects of PTSD. Unlike other lawyers, we understand that a psychiatric condition can be just as debilitating as a physical one. With nearly four decades of legal experience, we are prepared to help you win the monetary compensation you deserve. Please contact us; we want to help.
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